1. What is Google Cloud Platform (GCP)?
Google Cloud Platform (GCP) is a suite of cloud computing services offered by Google. It provides services for computing, data storage, data analytics, and machine learning, as well as tools for managing and scaling applications and infrastructure globally.
2. What are the core services offered by GCP?
Core services include:
Compute: Compute Engine, App Engine, Kubernetes Engine
Storage: Cloud Storage, Firestore, Bigtable, SQL
Data Analytics: BigQuery, Dataflow, Dataproc
Machine Learning: AI Platform, TensorFlow, AutoML
Networking: Virtual Private Cloud (VPC), Cloud Load Balancing, Cloud CDN
3. Explain the difference between App Engine and Compute Engine.
App Engine is a fully managed platform-as-a-service (PaaS) that automatically handles app scaling and infrastructure management. It’s ideal for deploying applications with minimal setup. Compute Engine is an infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) that provides virtual machines, giving developers more control over operating systems, storage, and scalability.
4. What is Kubernetes Engine, and why is it used in GCP?
Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) is a managed Kubernetes service that automates the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications using Kubernetes. GKE simplifies container orchestration and is ideal for applications requiring efficient scalability, automated updates, and rapid deployment.
5. How does Google Cloud Storage differ from Google Drive?
Google Cloud Storage is a scalable storage service primarily for developers, offering advanced data management, backups, and high availability for application data. Google Drive is a personal storage service intended for individual users, providing simpler file-sharing and collaboration features for documents and media files.
6. What is BigQuery, and how does it work?
BigQuery is Google Cloud’s fully managed data warehouse that enables fast SQL queries on large datasets. It’s optimized for analytics on large-scale data and works by separating compute and storage, allowing for quick, scalable queries on petabyte-scale datasets without the need for database management.
7. Describe IAM and its importance in GCP.
Identity and Access Management (IAM) in GCP controls access to resources, allowing users to assign roles and permissions to individuals and groups based on the principle of least privilege. IAM ensures that only authorized users can access specific resources, enhancing security and compliance.
8. How does Cloud Spanner differ from Cloud SQL?
Cloud Spanner is a fully managed, horizontally scalable, and globally distributed database with high consistency and availability, ideal for mission-critical applications. Cloud SQL, on the other hand, is a managed relational database service for MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQL Server, suitable for applications that require traditional SQL database features without the need for global scalability.
9. What are VPCs, and how do they work in GCP?
Virtual Private Clouds (VPCs) are logically isolated networks within GCP, providing private IP spaces for resources and controlling network access. VPCs enable the creation of secure networking environments for applications, supporting various subnets, firewalls, and load balancers for traffic management.
10. Explain the concept of "preemptible VMs" in GCP.
Preemptible VMs are short-lived, cost-effective virtual machines that can be stopped by GCP when the resources are needed elsewhere. They are ideal for batch jobs and fault-tolerant workloads that can handle interruptions. Preemptible VMs are significantly cheaper than standard VMs, making them a cost-saving option for non-critical tasks
Comments